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David Davis's Brexit Department faced further turmoil today as he was forced to replace his third minister in just five months.

Baroness Anelay has resigned as Minister of State for Exiting the European Union as a result of an injury suffered while climbing out of a Black Hawk helicopter in 2015 when she was a Foreign Office Minister.

Her departure is the latest in a growing list of exits from the Brexit Department.

His departure came amid reports of a strained relationship between Mr Robbins, who was the permanent secretary at the Brexit Department, and Mr Davis.

The shake up was seen as Mrs May asserting her authority over the talks and as evidence of her taking direct control of the negotiations.

Mr Jones, a Brexiteer, was replaced by Baroness Anelay while the place of Lord Bridges was taken by the Eurosceptic Tory MP Steve Baker.

Baroness Anelay has been replaced at the Department by Lord Callanan who has moved from his role at the Department for Transport where he was Aviation Minister.

Steve Baker, the Brexit Minister

Baroness Anelay outlined the reason for her decision in an article for Conservative Home.

She said: “It was the Black Hawk helicopter that did it. It was 2015, and as a Foreign Office Minister I was touring Bosnia and Herzegovina, meeting victims of war and terror for whom British overseas power had been a ladder out of oppression.

“Unfortunately for me, that particular ladder hadn’t materialised when it came to getting out of the helicopter. One ill-judged leap later, and I sustained an uncomfortable injury that has called time on my ministerial career after two decades on the Front Bench.”

In her resignation letter to Mrs May, Baroness Anelay said she believed she left the Brexit Department in good shape.

She said: “I leave the Department certain that the negotiations surrounding our exit, and our future relationship with the EU, will be successful.”